Flashlight structure



Jan. 25, 1944. G. BAILHE 2,340,101

' FLASHLIGHT STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 27, 1942 ,n vll x 28 .Z7 Z5 Z6INVENTOR..-

Patented Jan. 25, 1944 i craft Corporation, New

tion of New York George Bailhe, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to Fred- York,N. Y., a corpora- Application August 27, 194g, serial No. 456,309 zc1aims .,(cl. 24o-10.68)

This invention relates to ashlight structures f 1:

and more particularly to pocket flashlights or lamp devices of thischaracter.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flashlight whichis inexpensive to manufacture, very eicient during use and operation,and which due to its simplied construc-L tion necessitates but a fewmetallic parts. f 1 It is anotherr object of the present invention toprovide a flashlight structure equipped withA a to unobstructedlyemanate light rays before, during, or after operation of 'theflashlightI A further object of the present 'invention is to provide a lampstructure including iarbulb,

with said reector means, whereby said bulb may unobstructedly projectlight rays from said lamp structure during operation 'of said bulb,whereas said luminous means, during inoperative period of said bulb, mayalso unobstruct- -1 edly send out light rays and from a. continuoussurface area on which said luminous means extend. g Still another objectof the present invention'is for ordinary use but also in darkened areas,during blackouts, etc.

Still a further object of the present invention resides in the provisionof a flashlight which provides not only the usual flashlight service,

such as a continuous glow lightresulting primarily from the flashlightsown light source, which activates the aforesaid luminous means fautomatically even in darkened areas vat any time the flashlight is inuse oroperation, thus mal:- ing this auxiliary light independent of any'outside light source, such as sun rays or the like,; but beingactivatable by them at al1 times.

. These and other new and useful obiectsmayy be attained as will appearfrom the .following disclosure of the invention, which consists lin; thefeatures of novelty in construction, combinar tion and arrangement ofthe several parts, hereinafter more fully described and shown in the l0reector which'includes luminous means adapted l5 reflector means, andluminous means connected :.1';

to provide means for securing the bulb of the is to provide a ashlightparticularly adapted of theouter wall I1 and the inner wall I8, thel butalso provides an auxiliary or secondary light;

accompanying drawing illustrating this invention l In the drawing:

Fig. 1i is a longitudinal sectional view of the flashlight made inaccordance with the invention, the flashlight being shown in itsassembled and inoperative position. j

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the flashlight of Fig. 1, a part of theashlight being broken away. Fig.-3 is a. partial sectional view of thehousing ofthe ashlightseen in-Fig. l, but turned180 from'thatfillustrated in Fig. l.

Fig. 4^is Aa longitudinal sectional View of the cap or cover ofV theilashlight, turned 90 from thatshown in Fig. 1,a'nd in a somewhat modiedform.

Fig. 5 isla cross-sectional view of a contact member `employed in theswitch arrangement of the flashlight.4 V I B ,eferring now particularlyto the drawing, there is shown in'Fig. 1 a'flashlight, generallydesignated by numeral I0 comprising a lower shell or base housing `IIand la cap or cover I2. Housing `I I -has the outer wall I3y and theinner wall M made of cardboard and pasted together. in any'suitablemanner. Housing II may alsoi be made ofi an ordinary tube of cardboardor the like to which a' bottom is attached in form of an: end wall.l:Walls I3 and I4 may have at their" upper end a shoulder or neck I5 of'reduced' cli-f. ameter to .permit slidable frictional engagementwiththe-inner wall of cover I2 fat I6" (Fig. 4).' The diameter of lowerhousing II, whenmade fromj-ordinarytube material may be the samethroughout'its length, cover I2 thus slidably en#v gaging the'outer wallof the open end of housing II, which said cover VI2 thus embraces andcloses. Housing II may be adapted to hold two` batteries Bsuperpositioned upon each other in a conventional manner. Cover I2 iscomposedlatter forming` a shoulderV I9 for glass or simi--lar-transparent plate 20 held in position betweenv it `and ridge orflange 2I provided at the end ofA outer wall Il. Within cover I-2 thereisprovidedaf partition 22 connected to and'iormin'g'an" end wall ofyinner cover wall I8 and simultanev` o'usly a 'base or seat for a lamporbulb 23. ljnd wallor partition 22 and wall nI8 form the light*projecting endof said flashlight. yThe surfacel 24'of partition 22, inYthis example, is substantiallynat and provided with va reiiector layer,such f as luminous coating 24, which may Y'ior- I' wardly yextend from,Said partition allngfthe.- inner wall, IQ at 24a to 'permitunobstructed ,prf

jection oftne light rays through lens or elast As shown in Figs. 1 and3, on bottom 25 of housing II, there rests a wire coil 21 supporting"battery B, wire coil 21 being part 0I mductor" member 28 which extendsbetween the inner wall I4 and batteries B and term neck portion I5, asat 29.""'Conductor member 28 passes from inside through shoulder or necksunlight or other outside light source for activatlng the luminousmeans. In the present case, the flashlight may even solely be usedduringV blackouts or in darkened areas, its own light source being thencapable of activating the luminous means, which is eiectuatedautomatically vatany time the flashlight will be in operation.

It is, ofcourse, understood that the reflector shown may assume anyother desired shape and Y:may be entirely or partly covered by luminousmeans or layer to bring about the aforesaid efinate, 'at reduced 'la ofthe invention a I5 to the outer surface of shoulder l5, asclarli seen inFig. 3, and may be anchored any convenient manner.

On the surface of partition 22 'andbelowlum nous layer 24 there is xed aconductor member 30 (Fig. l) contacting socket of bulb 2 3 and having anopening through which said bulb socket may protrude. Extension 3| ofconductor member. 30. is bent inwardly and. downwardlyzto :exqtend alongthe inner face of outer wall Il and may be preferably accommodated inarecessgor on the face of said wall I1. l 4 It will be evident from theforegoing that upon frictional engagement of inner wall vI of cap I2with shoulder I5 ofhousing II, cap I2 --may be turned so as to bringabout increased "frictional engagement upon contact between member 3|and member 29. Member29 bears againstth'e outer surface of shoulder I5.Bulb 23 maybe screwed home so that its pole 33 always abuts againstbattery pole 34, whereas upon-rotational movement of contact member 3|(shownfinseethereon. 'in

tion in Fig. 5) relatively to conductormember 28, the bulb 23 may beswitchedonfand O f'ii will. p It canbe realized from the aboveexplanations that the electrical circuit will always beastabm lishedthrough contact between bulb pole 33 and battery pole 34 and thatinterruptionofqtheeilrfr cuit may be brought about due torQtation-ofcover or cap I2 (with contact member '3I-)rcla tively to housing II(with-contact'member219), in the direction of arrow A. It will beapparent that the rays-otifhulbl' will be reflected by the luminouslayerL-jwhich upon switching off of light bulb 23eis-enaliledu toemanate from its entire contiuuousitycrzslil* face light rays indarkened areas orfduringblackouts, so that the ashlight willbe veryfaseful for air raid wardens, etc. In Fig. 2 thereisshown; a mark orarrow 32 which ispreferablyprovlded. on the luminous reflector means 24,arrow 32 pointing to conductor member 3I,so ais-toenable the operatorduring blackouts or in darke ened areas to easily manipulate cap I2- forbringing contact members 3| and29 inteoperative'l positions.

feet.-

V While there have been shown and described and'rpoited out thefundamental novel features s applied to the above embodiment, it will"be understood that various omis- `and.substitutions and changes in theform and details of the means illustrated and its op- 'eration may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is: v

1. d ashlight comprising a housing of elec trically non-conductivematerial for containing an electric battery therein, said housing havingan open end and being provided with an outer wall, a closure cap made ofelectrically non-con ductive material removably placed over said openend and having an inner wall frictionally engaging with the outer wallof said housing and for sliding, movement thereon, electric contactmeans anchored on the outer surface of said housing-wall adjacent saidopen end and on the inner surface ofv said, cap, respectively, saidcontact means being adapted to increase the frictional engagement' ofsaid cap with said housing when Vsaid contact means are in superpositionupon movement -of said cap on said housing, said cap` forming a lightprojecting end including Aa partition, a bulbfixed on said partition andfree'-, ly exposed in said cap, a circuit including said contact meansfor operating said circuit and connected with said battery and saidbulband lumi; nous; means positioned on said partition suba stantially`rearwardly of said bulb and forming. thesurfaceofaa reileetor, wherebyupon relative movement of said cap to said housing make and (i break ofcontact-between said contact means will be had,-so that-light -rayseither from said bulb er fremsaidreiflector surface and luminous meanspass unobstructedly through said light projectmilena It is wellunderstood that -the husingll "and .Y

this invention is not only useful "fortle`rdinary flashlight service,but valso peri z"il t"s' aiseeondary or glow light caused byandn'siiltik, from the operation of the electricbulb'fmtle flashlight(own light source) f said luminous. coating b 2. Ina lfiashlightstructure having a iiaslilight body of velectricall-y non-conductivematerial; a cover 'of electrically non-conductive material riemovablymounted on said flashlight body, a partitionvwthin isaid cover forming aseat for the, bulb of the iiashlight, an extension arranged rearwardlybf. said Vpartition for removably a-Ii'c slidablymonting said cover onthe flashlight body, `a wall-'within said cover forwardly extend., ingfr-"oiri:said..,"I'Jar'titicm, said wall together wit-l said partitionr*formingV v'the light Vprojecting end. o ffsaid aslilight, and. aluminous coating disp's'ed'. dir "saidiarttin and 0n Said Wall, Where.-by. light afys from the bulb may b unobstructedly 'projctd'thllgh Saidlight projecting end.

eing adapted to unobstrctdly emanate light rays from saidlightljetigedfWhen thefblllb Of said flaSl'ilight

